SF Giants recall RHP Tristan Beck, place LHP Alex Wood on injured list

The SF Giants recalled right-handed pitcher Tristan Beck, the 19th-best prospect in the organization, on Sunday after placing Alex Wood on the IL.

Marc Delucchi | Jun 4, 2023

SF Giants recall RHP Tristan Beck, place LHP Alex Wood on injured list /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants recalled right-handed pitcher Tristan Beck (Giants #19 prospect) from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday. In a corresponding move, they placed veteran starter Alex Wood on the 15-day injured list with a lower back strain. Wood had his worst outing of the season on Wednesday, allowing six runs in 4.1 innings pitched. On the season, the lefty has a 4.80 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts). Wood told reporters prior to the Giants game on Sunday that he expects to be back when he's exhausted the minimum necessary time on the injured list.

SF Giants starting pitcher Alex Wood delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 31, 2023. — SF Giants starting pitcher Alex Wood pitches against the Pirates. (2023) / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

"It was acting up before my last start from Milwaukee," Wood told reporters prior to the Giants game on Sunday afternoon. "I made it out of that and felt fine, and then as soon as I got home after my last start, my lower side locked up a little bit. We didn't want to push it for my next start. I think it should be just the 15 days. So just trying to be careful and not have anything serious happen. I got a scan and it was clean. Everything looks good."

This is the second time this season the Giants have called up Beck to place Wood on the injured list. They did the same thing back in April when Wood suffered a hamstring strain. Beck was quite effective in his first MLB stint as a long reliever. Beck recorded a 4.10 ERA in 10 appearances with the Giants, striking out 24 while walking just four in 26.1 innings pitched. At Triple-A, Beck has made four starts this season, posting a 3.77 ERA in 14.1 innings pitched.

A lifelong starter, Beck has the potential to stick in a big-league rotation. Beck primarily relies on a fastball that has shown the ability to sit in the mid-90s and an above-average slider. However, the former Stanford ace has a deep pitch mix that also features a sweeper, curveball, and changeup. The SF Giants have not announced the team's scheduled starters for the upcoming series in Colorado. While a bullpen game seems most likely, it's not out of the question that Tristan Beck could make his first career MLB start at Coors Field.

Published Jun 4, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).